MAILBAG: Neal Brown's Seat, the New Norm, Would a Different Staff Do Better? + More
From @BrazilianEeer:
Q: Is Neal brown fired next game or the one after?
A: I know this is a half-serious question and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Neal isn't going to be fired at any point during the season. If they bounce back and win the next two, all of this talk goes away for the time being.
From @cstalker19:
Q: Why? Why are they the way they are?
A: Terrific question. One I sure don't have an answer to. Some of the things that continue to happen with this team are just unexplainable. Every game you're just waiting for that "moment" where it alters the momentum of the game and you have no idea why or how it just happened. Last night, it was Preston Fox getting leveled by Andrew Wilson-Lamp.
From @j_tennant:
Q: Is there any possibility of raising the money to buy Neal out before 1/1/25?
A: Before January 2025? Sure. January 2024 is a little more dicey but if we're being honest, Wren Baker will make a move at the end of the season if he truly doesn't buy into what Neal is attempting to build.
From @Mountiealum97:
Q: This defense has really regressed. Is it because the teams we have beaten were not that good or are we getting worse? Why are we starting out flat? Isn’t it the coach's job to get them in a rhythm? I see a similarity between WVU and Nebraska please say no.
A: I think the quality of opponents plays a part in it. Remember, Texas Tech was without Tyler Shough for the majority of the game and TCU isn't as good as we all thought they would be. Starting out slow is a real problem for this team and if it continues to happen, it's going to be a long year. As for the Nebraska question, funny you asked. I was thinking about the other programs in college football that have been on a deep decline over the last decade or so and Nebraska is the first school that comes to mind. They have a similar situation to some extent but have much higher expectations. I also think they have a significantly more difficult path to finding success again.
From @skeenzyf:
Q: Is this team better or worse, record-wise, with another coach (and staff) at the helm, now and at the end of the season? Obviously impossible to answer, but fun for discussion/thought. My take is that these pieces should equal a better whole than they seemingly do.
A: I said before the season started that this team, on paper, is a seven or eight-win team. The coaching is the only thing that made me second guess if they could get there. I do think the right staff could get this team to that mark.
From @wvuremfan:
Q: Why is Rodney Gallagher not involved more? Why is NB still the coach? Why is Jordan Lesley still DC? Why is this team taking 10,000,000 steps back and 1 forward? When will Wren Baker grow a set and fire NB?
A: He's still trying to find his way and master the playbook just like all freshmen. As mentioned in a previous question, Neal will be here through the end of the season at minimum. Lesley is his guy and isn't going anywhere either. And Wren could make a move this offseason, so time will tell.
From @wvufan2023:
Q: Is Neal Brown starting to work his way back toward being on the hot seat after this loss?
A: Absolutely. Every loss turns up the heat on that seat a couple of degrees, at minimum. No loss is created equal, though, so if WVU loses to UCF next week it's going really jump up in temperature, in my opinion.
From @KuzULuz:
Q: Tackling, turnovers/mistakes, and penalties were all areas of improvement this staff harped all off-season. Is this ever going to get better or is it truly time to move on?
A: Some of it has to do with depth. But that isn't an excuse. Those twos and threes should be groomed and ready to go if needed. They played really disciplined football in the first five games. I guess the law of averages is playing out now.
From @@Simmonswv:
Q: Why do we not have any type of short-passing game? Where was Anderson?
A: Have to have some receivers/backs that can make plays in space and right now, WVU just doesn't have that. The staff really wanted to work Justin Johnson in and just continued to ride with him. I'll try to get more on Anderson. I thought he was limited in practice leading up to the game but I have to double-check that.
From @JordanWVU07:
Q: When is Rich Rod coming home? In all seriousness, we are back on the new coach bandwagon again correct?
A: Rich Rod isn't coming back, but I'd say Wren Baker is keeping tabs on other coaches around the country just in case he feels like a change is needed.
From @Connell424:
Q: Why did we leave CJ on the sidelines so much of the second half? Why did we run a 4th and 2 play to the side of the center when we were outnumbered? Why did we not try more front adjustments to slow down the RB?
A: Donaldson couldn't get going and Johnson had the hot hand. The 4th & 2 play call I actually didn't mind, it just wasn't executed. If Greene makes the read and hands it off, it's a first down. Had the defense sucked in he could have bounced it wide for the first. Just didn't make the right read there. For the defense, sometimes doing too much can be a problem. They weren't doing anything special in the run game, the guys in the front seven just weren't fitting it well and couldn't get off blocks.
From @Paul_Boggess:
Q: Is WVU football caught in the mediocre middle now with the current college football landscape (NIL, transfer portal, culture)? Would a different coach be able to do any better or must we accept that we will not reach the successes that we have been used to in our history?
A: It's very possible this could be the new norm for WVU. It's hard to really gauge since we're all kind of learning and adjusting to this new era together. It's really going to come down to who can figure out the NIL landscape the best and who can't. Coaching, however, could still be improved.
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